


T is for Trampled

by Jazzie



Series: A to Z of Danny Whump! [20]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 04:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11912913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jazzie/pseuds/Jazzie
Summary: Danny wants to be more involved in Grace's life, a trip to a fair with the school doesn't end quite how he would have expected.





	T is for Trampled

Danny was enjoying a rare day off during the week.  His ex-wife had called to say there was an excursion for Grace’s school, they were taking her class and several others to a local fair for local art and culture set up in a park.  The school were looking for parents to go and assist with keeping an eye on the students.

Danny had asked to be able to be more involved with Grace’s activities both in and out of school, so when Grace had come home with the letter Rachel had called him, he in turn had then spoken with Steve.  This was made easier by the fact he was _still_ staying at Chez McGarrett, as Steve _still_ wouldn’t let him move back to his own apartment.

This had been going on for three months now and every time Danny brought up the idea of returning home, Steve vetoed it.  Danny had said all along that it was mad to pay rent on a place he wasn’t using, Steve suggested he break his lease and move in with him permanently, Danny had vetoed that idea.  Still the detective couldn’t afford to pay for his apartment, plus pay Steve rent given his salary and the bills, including child support. 

After much negotiation between the two equally stubborn men, it was agreed Danny would only pay towards the grocery bill. 

This was only after Steve pointed out that he was the one preventing Danny from going back to his apartment.

Danny had countered that with the fact it wasn’t Steve’s fault some psycho wanted to maim him.

Steve’s return volley stated that it wasn’t Danny’s either.  The issue arose because of the job and therefore, as his boss, he was ordering protective custody; that could either be at his house, with some degree of freedom, or in a safe house that he would request from HPD via the Governor.

Danny had thrown his hands up in the air and ranted about the futility of spending the tax payer’s dollars on a safe house for an indeterminate, but probably lengthy period, just for him.

Steve had been quite indignant at that last comment.  He took great pains to point out all the good Danny had done since moving to Hawaii, both as part of HPD and 5-0.  In any case it didn’t matter, Danny’s life was worth it and he had two choices; stay with him or go to a safe house.

Chin and Kono had made themselves scarce during the heated debate, not wanting to be put in the middle.  They could see the argument from both sides.

Left to sort it out and after much toing, froing and hand waving, the latter from Danny, they agreed.  Danny would have to buy groceries if he was in his own apartment, of course he’d pay electric and other utilities too but Steve didn’t think two people would use that much more; he also wanted Danny to have some  money to be able to spend in his free time with Grace whenever he could.  Steve was still conscious of the safety factor so would check, or get Chin or Kono to check, any places Danny might want to take his daughter.

When Danny mentioned going to the fair Steve had checked it out and signed the requested leave slip once he was satisfied the event wasn’t a likely target for Warner.  It was way too public and open; Warner tended to be devious and liked less populated areas.

There had been much eye rolling and gesticulating from Danny, as his frustration had reached boiling point.  Numerous occasions he felt it necessary to remind the SEAL that he was a trained police officer and not totally incapable of looking after himself.

Steve, of course, knew this and part of him knew he was being over protective but not knowing where Warner was had him on high alert.

The long and short of it was that Steve approved the leave and Danny was now playing chaperone to his daughter’s class, along with her teacher and four other parents.

Danny smiled as he watched Grace gathered with her classmates around her teacher.  He stood a short distance back, so he was out of the way but could still see all of the kids.  His eyes were constantly scanning the area, a parental habit only accentuated by his cop instincts.

He’d just scanned the edge of the crowd when he noticed four men strangely dressed given the heat of the day.  Long dark macs, baseball caps pulled low over their eyes…  It was mere seconds later that he saw them pull automatic weapons out from under the long coats.

Danny reached for his own weapon on instinct but he hadn’t put it on that morning as he was going to be out with the school, the last thing he wanted was a group of nine year olds asking to see his gun!

“Everybody get down!” he yelled even as he started to move towards the children.

The sound of gunfire split the air before he could get even half way.  The gun men were behind the group, which meant they were facing Danny.  The crowd gathered all panicked and started to run, which meant Danny was going against the flow of people.

“Grace!” Danny tried to make himself heard over the noise without success.  He lost sight of her, as he was shoved like a ping pong ball between people, before finally losing his balance and being knocked off his feet.

Lying on the floor he tried to get to his feet but someone stamped on the fingers of his right hand causing him to snatch it back.  Knocked once again flat to the ground, someone else stomped across his lower back.  It felt like hours to Danny but after a few minutes the gunfire stopped and a space finally cleared enough to enable Danny to get to his feet.  Pushing up with his uninjured hand he stumbled to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand and back, he frantically started looking for Grace and the rest of her class.  While his eyes scanned the throng of people his hand immediately felt in his pocket for his cell.  Unfortunately, being right handed it was in his right pants pocket.  Gritting his teeth against the pain, he pulled it out and using his left hand he dialled the only people he would trust with his and Grace’s lives.

“McGarrett,” the response was terse which meant Steve hadn’t checked the caller ID.

“Steve, shots fired at the fair.  Four males, dark clothes, sunglasses, black baseball caps, black macs.  Grace is missing!” the words tumbled out of Danny’s mouth.  He knew he needed to get the descriptions out first, as the second he mentioned his daughter his attention went back to the crowd to search for her.

“We’re on our way!” Steve called out to Chin and Kono; Danny could hear his ohana running down the stairs with the SEAL filling in the other two team members, “Danny, anyone hurt?” the concern in his best friend’s voice could clearly be heard.

As Danny had been looking for any sign of his daughter his keen eye had spotted several injured people but they all appeared to be minor, “Nothing major that I’ve seen so far, I need to find Grace!”

“Danny…” Steve didn’t manage to say anything else before he heard dial tone.  He looked at Chin who was just finishing a call.

“HPD just arrived on scene.  I gave them the descriptions and advised that an off duty member of 5-0 is there.”

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

Steve pulled up at the scene, flashed his badge and entered the chaos, looking for both Danny and Grace.  He was closely followed by Chin and Kono.

“Get a sit rep from the HPD officer in charge,” Steve ordered Kono, eyes trained on the crowd.

“It’s not going to be easy to find them,” stated Chin, already pulling his cell out to call Danny.  The moment it was answered he spoke, “We’re here, where are you?”

“In the center of the crowd.”

“Make your way towards the band stand and we’ll wait here for you, then we’ll look for Grace together,” suggested Chin, not unreasonably.

“I last saw her and the rest of her class near where I am, so I’ll stay here,” Danny’s stubborn streak was naturally in full force.

“Then don’t move from there and we’ll circle round until we find her or you.”

“Fine,” once again dial tone.

Chin looked at Steve helplessly, the deep blue eyes of the SEAL reflected the concern the older detective’s eyes were showing.

“Boss, HPD report a dozen injuries so far.  No gunshot wounds.  Minor scrapes, cuts, bruises and a couple of broken bones where people were trampled,” reported Kono, “BOLO has been issued for the shooters but chances are they ditched the caps and macs.  Eye witnesses are all reporting the same thing, up to a point.  Several men appeared over there,” she pointed to the area opposite where they were standing, “Then opened fire without warning or provocation.”

“Let me guess, the number of shooters differs and nobody can agree which direction they ran off in?” asked Chin.

“You got it Cuz.”

“Danny said there were four, so that’s what I’m going by until proved otherwise.  Now let’s get looking for…” Steve paused and his eyes narrowed before he started to stride forward, the sea of people parting, probably due to the intense look on his face, “Grace!”

“Uncle Steve!”

The SEAL found himself with his arms full of a wriggling, tearful Grace.  Chin and Kono quickly joined them.

“Are you alright?” Steve asked his niece as his eyes checked her for injuries.

“I can’t find Danno!” she sobbed into her Uncle’s shoulder.

“He’s looking for you.  Chin will call him,” soothed Steve, rubbing her back.

Chin was already on the phone to Danny directing him to their location, when he hung up he placed his hand on the sobbing girl’s back, “He’s on his way.”

Steve, Chin and Kono all did their best to soothe the distraught child but they knew the only thing that would truly work was seeing Danny for herself.

“Grace!”

Grace lifted her head from the crook of her Uncle’s neck at the sound of her Dad’s voice and scanned the people until she spotted him running towards her.  The surrounding people parted before him and Grace wriggled in Steve’s arms but the SEAL hung firmly on to her until Danny was only a short distance away, afraid that she’d get lost again.

“Danno!” Grace practically screamed; her feet touched the ground and she was catapulting into his arms, her tears as much about joy as fear now.

“Sshh Monkey.  It’s alright,” Danny’s hand ran up and down her back, “Are you hurt?”

“No,” she replied between sniffles.

“Are you sure?” he pulled away slightly trying to look her over but she was clinging to him so tightly he couldn’t get a proper look.  Sure that Steve had already checked her over, he just pulled her closer, took a deep breath and relaxed.  That was his mistake.

Pain shot down his legs and became a vice around his whole lower back.  Danny knew it wouldn’t be long before he dropped Grace so he tried to put her down but she wouldn’t release her hold, frightened of hurting her, his eyes sought out Steve.

“Take her,” he requested through gritted teeth.

The three other members of 5-0 moved forward as one, knowing something was wrong if their friend was willing to let Grace go so soon.  Kono reached out to take her, Chin and Steve taking up position on either side of Danny.

“Danny?” Steve asked.  He’d scanned his brother as he’d come towards them, there’d been no blood on him and he was moving without any visible signs of injury.

“No!” Grace clung even harder to her Dad.

“Please,” Danny practically begged; his skin paling considerably given the pain he was experiencing.  He looked imploringly at Steve, “I can’t hold her.  My back…”

“Kono, take Grace,” Steve ordered, plucking the child gently out of her father’s embrace and into Kono’s, then swiftly grabbing Danny before he could fall.  With Chin’s help he lowered him to the ground, “Chin get medics over here.”

“Grace…” Danny needed to check on her even though he was on his side on the ground.

“She’s fine Danny.  Kono has her,” Steve reassured his partner, “What happened?” He felt Danny’s left hand tighten on his arm.

“Trampled in the panic,” the pain was making it difficult to speak; at least Danny thought it was the pain, “Hand and back.”

Steve looked at Danny’s hands and realised the fingers on the right one were swollen, he then lifted up his shirt and swore at the sight of the bruising that was already present.  He was greatly relieved when EMTs appeared and even more so when it was two they knew well.  Jake and Andy knelt by their patient as Steve filled them in.

“Danny, scale of one to ten, how’s the pain?” asked Andy, expertly slipping an IV cannula into the back of his left hand.

“Eight,” he made eye contact with Steve who once again had Grace in his arms.  Seeing his daughter was taken care of he closed his eyes and concentrated on not being sick.

“Can you feel this?” asked Jake touching Danny’s feet and legs.

“Yes.”

“I’m just going to look at your hand,” Jake gently examined his patient’s swollen appendage, “I’m pretty sure you’ve got at least a couple of broken fingers.  I’ll put on a splint in case there are any further breaks.”

“Great,” grumbled Danny.  He hadn’t long got full use of his arm back after breaking both his ulna and radius.

“It’s just a precaution Danny,” Jake tried to reassure him.  Andy had been taking vitals and placed an oxygen mask on Danny.

“I’ll go and get the back board,” Andy told his partner.

Jake spoke quietly to Danny, aware that his young daughter was nearby, “I’m going to give you some morphine for the pain and then we’ll secure you to the back board and get you to Queens.”

“No back board,” protested the injured man.

“Danny…”

“No!”

“Danny…”

“No!”

Jake looked at his partner who had just returned.  Andy decided to try, “Why?” he asked.

“Hurts.”

“The morphine…”

“No!”

The EMTs looked at each other helplessly, they couldn’t force him to agree.  Jake glanced over at Steve and gave a slight nod of his head to beckon him over.  He handed Grace to Chin after whispering something in her ear.

“Jake?”

“We need to put Danny on a back board and he’s refusing.”

“Why?”

“He says it hurts.  I’ve given him morphine but he still said no.”

“Alright I’ll speak to him,” Steve ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath before crouching down next to Danny who had remained on his side, “Danny…”

“No!” he glared at his friend.

“Jake says you need to go on the back board.  Don’t be so damn stubborn!”

“Pot!”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Perhaps they can give you some more pain relief,” suggested the SEAL, determined not to be side tracked.

“More painful to lie on my back.”

“You need to be checked at the hospital and the backboard is the best way, you could have a spinal injury!”

Andy and Jake joined them, “It’s a precaution Danny but we really should use it.”

“Any alternative?”

“If you’re adamant about not letting us put you on it lying on your back, we can strap you to it lying on your side.  Not ideal but it’s a compromise,” advised Andy reluctantly.

“OK,” Danny finally agreed.

“You’ll be tightly strapped down so you can’t move,” warned Jake.

“Fine.”

Andy went to retrieve some more supplies from the ambulance.  When he returned the two EMTs, Steve and Chin, who had passed Grace to Kono, carefully lifted Danny on to the board.  A pillow was placed between his knees to ensure his spine stayed aligned then he was strapped firmly in place; the four men then carried him to the ambulance with Kono and Grace trailing behind.

Once Danny was loaded into the ambulance Grace started to fidget in Kono’s arms.

“Danno!” she called out.

Steve looked back from where he was now sitting in the back and saw the difficulty the young woman was having holding her and threw a questioning glance at Jake.

“He’s stable, I don’t see any reason we can’t fit you both in.”  Jake could see the benefit to his patient of having his daughter nearby.  Getting up from his seat Steve reached out and took her from Kono.

“See you at the hospital,” the rookie said before closing the doors.

Jake sat and monitored Danny’s condition, while Steve and Grace talked to him, the latter with her hand gently encircled in her Dad’s.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

The waiting room at Queens had become all too familiar to Steve over the past months and he hated that once again his brother had ended up here; with his niece curled up on his lap he waited for Doctor Jensen to appear.

Rachel had arrived shortly after the call Steve had made from the ambulance at Danny’s insistence, he hadn’t wanted his ex to hear about the shooting on the news.  Grace gave her Mom a hug when she arrived before returning to Steve’s lap.  Rachel settled beside them accepting that her daughter needed the comfort and reassurance the Navy SEAL offered right now.

They had been waiting for over an hour and had been joined by Kono and Chin when Doctor Jensen emerged from within the ER and sat himself down.

“Danny is going to be fine,” the doctor didn’t bother with niceties, knowing that these people who constituted his patient’s family would just want facts, “He has three broken fingers on his right hand, which we’ve strapped up.  There is significant bruising on his lower back which is obviously painful, he isn’t experiencing any loss of sensation and the MRI doesn’t show any swelling around his spinal cord.  Four ribs have been cracked on his right side, so he is going to have to be careful not to aggravate those.  All in all Danny has been very lucky, though I know that isn’t how he feels right now.”

“How long will he need to stay?” Steve wanted to know.  There was still the ‘small’ detail of who had been responsible for opening fire on a crowd of people that included his partner.  Was it Warner?

“He had to be given a mild sedative for the MRI as he wasn’t able to lie on his back, once that has worn off sufficiently and he’s been up and about I can discharge him into your care,” Doctor Jensen didn’t bother asking if someone would be able to look after the injured detective, because he knew his team would.

“Can we see Danno?” Grace asked from her place enfolded in Steve’s arms.

“Well he’s very sleepy still, Grace, but I don’t see why not.  In fact I’ll take you to him myself.”

The three 5-0 team members, Rachel and Grace, being carried on Steve’s hip, followed the doctor through the ER to a room at the back which allowed the patient a small measure of quiet, something Danny needed.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

Danny was lying on his left side staring at the wall of the room Henry had arranged for him to rest in following his MRI.  He could still feel the effects of the sedative trying to drag his eyes shut, something he was fighting all the way.  Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the look of terror on Grace’s face before he’d lost sight of her and been unceremoniously shoved.

He was asking himself what kind of father and police officer he was.  A group of men had opened fire on a crowd which consisted of a lot of children and he hadn’t been able to defend them.  Worst of all he hadn’t been able to protect his daughter.  Was she really safe with him anymore?  Had the shooting been related to him and his work?  Was it Warner?  Maybe everyone would be safer if he disappeared.  Not just Grace but Steve, Chin and Kono.  Danny shifted on the bed, a physical response to such thoughts which in turn elicited a physical pain response.  Danny hissed at the wave of pain caused by the movement.  A noise outside his door made him force his features to relax, the last thing he wanted was anyone to read his thoughts because of his expression.

“Danny, up to some visitors?” asked Henry as he opened the door and noticed his patient was awake.

“Sure,” Danny arranged his face into a smile that did nothing to hide the pain lines.

Henry stepped over to the bed after quickly asking the others to wait a moment.  Both Steve and Grace practically vibrated with anxiety at the request, wondering what was wrong.

“Still in pain huh?” Henry asked gently.

“Some.”

“If I asked you to get up and move around could you?”

“Not without help,” admitted Danny reluctantly.

“I’ll request a dose of muscle relaxants and some more pain medication.  You need to be able to move around and use the bathroom before I can release you.  Even if it’s with assistance,” Henry wrote something on his chart, “Now are you ready for those visitors?”

“Yes, thanks Henry.”

“You’re welcome Danny.  A nurse will be in with that medication soon,” the doctor left the room allowing the four adults and child waiting outside to enter.

“Danno!”

“Hey Monkey,” he looked up at his daughter held securely in his brother’s arms.  If he decided to walk away from his career and family here, at least he knew Grace would be protected.  Shaking off the thought to be considered more carefully later, he smiled at his daughter, “Are you alright?”

“Yes.  Uncle Steve has been looking after me,” she told him as she settled on her Uncle’s lap in the chair next to his bed.

“That’s good,” Danny’s eyes moved to Steve, “Thanks man.”

“Anytime,” Steve rested his hand on Danny’s arm.

Rachel, Chin and Kono greeted him and conveyed their relief that his injuries weren’t worse.  A nurse slipped quietly into the room, administered the medication ordered by Doctor Jensen then left just as quietly.

It didn’t take long before Danny was feeling drowsy from the effects and Steve noticed, “Get some rest.”

“You should all go home; watching me sleep won’t be much fun.”

“I would like to take Grace home,” Rachel stated, receiving a steely glare from Steve and a pout from her daughter, “I was thinking that I could bring her to yours, Steve, for a short visit, once Danny’s released,” she clarified.  The steely eyed glare lessened, the pout did not.

“Go on Monkey, go with your Mom,” he really didn’t want either her or Rachel here when he attempted to get up.

Grace glanced at Steve as if looking for reassurance, whatever it was she was searching for she found it and leaned forward to kiss her Dad, “See you later Danno, love you.”

“Danno loves you more,” he summoned his most convincing smile for her, seemingly satisfied, she followed her Mom from the room after saying good bye to Steve, Chin and Kono.

“Chin, Kono, why don’t you see if HPD have anything yet,” Steve suggested while giving a slight movement of his head indicating they should leave.  The team had been working together long enough for them both to hear the words he didn’t say.

“Sure Boss,” Kono leant over and gave Danny a kiss on the temple, “See you later brah.”

“See you Danny, feel better,” Chin gave his shoulder a squeeze and the two cousins left.

Left alone the brothers stared at each other; there was so much they both wanted to say but neither could quite come up with the words.  A rarity for Danny and it said a lot about his state of mind right now.

Steve was never one to speak about his own feelings, so trying to put his thoughts into words now was difficult, let alone pulling the words from Danny that he knew the man needed to share but was reluctant to.  The SEAL had seen behind the façade Danny had put on.

“I need you to do something for me,” Danny finally found a way to start the conversation.

“Anything,” assured Steve.  There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Danny and that included anything illegal, the only exception was cold bloodied murder, unless of course there were extenuating circumstances.

“Accept my resignation and let me leave without a fuss.  Keep an eye on Grace for me and protect her as if she were your own.”

‘OK,’ thought Steve, ‘there was _almost_ nothing he wouldn’t do.’  What Danny had just asked him to do, he couldn’t possibly comply with.

“I’m going to say this once, and once only.  You are as much my brother as Mary is my sister, in a lot of ways I’m closer to you than Mary.  If there ever came a time that you couldn’t be there for Grace you have to know I will be, but this is not that time.  I can’t let you resign or leave Grace,” he had known Danny was struggling with this latest incident but it hadn’t even crossed his mind that the other man would want to leave 5-0, let alone Grace.

“Steve I’m attracting trouble as often as you attract women!  Constantly!”

“Well I don’t know about the attracting women part but I do know if you do your job right then you’re possibly going to attract trouble.  We don’t even know who is behind the shooting yet.  Don’t make these decisions when you’re in pain and on medication.”

Danny looked at Steve, his sky blue eyes filled with tears, but not because of physical pain.  He didn’t know how long he’d be able to hold his emotions in check but he didn’t want the tough Navy SEAL to witness him breakdown.

Steve could see the struggle Danny was having and knew why.  There was no way he was leaving him to deal with this on his own.  Whatever had Danny ready to breakdown, he’d be there to help him through it.  He pulled the chair as close to the bed as he could and rested one hand on his head and the other on his left hand, mindful of the IV.

“Talk to me.  What’s going on in that head of yours?”

A glance into Steve’s dark blue eyes told Danny he was serious and nothing was going to move him from his current spot.  “I couldn’t protect those kids this morning.  I couldn’t protect Grace.”  A single tear slid down his cheek and was gently wiped away by Steve before it could drip on the bed.

“Oh Danny, you know as well as I do that we can’t protect everyone all of the time, that includes the people we care about the most,” his own eyes filled with tears as he remembered his Dad.

“Damn, I’m sorry Steve, I shouldn’t have said anything!”

“Yes you should.  If you’ve shown me anything it’s the importance of being honest with your ohana.  You’re more important than my grief or revenge.”

Danny was overwhelmed by this rare confession by his brother and it was the final straw as he lost control of his emotions completely.  Tears poured down his cheeks, dripping onto the bed and running into his hair.  Steve grabbed some tissues from the nearby table and gently wiped them away while leaving a comforting hand on Danny’s own hand.

Henry walked into the room ten minutes later to find his patient asleep and Steve hovering, “Everything OK?” he asked softly.

“No, Doctor Jensen, not really, but it will be if I have any say in the matter!”

“Steve I really think it’s time you called me Henry!  Now tell me what’s going on.”

“OK, Henry it is.  Honestly, Danny’s just having a hard time coping with this latest thing; we’ve talked and I think he’ll be alright now.”

“Well if there’s anything I can do all either of you have to do is ask.  Let me know when he wakes up and we’ll see if we can get him mobile ready for discharge,” Henry left the room to let Danny rest further.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

“Wake up Danny, we’re home,” Steve gently nudged his friend to wake him up.

“Huh?” a bleary eyed Danny glanced back at him, taking in the now open truck door, as well as the fact the front door of the house was wide open.

“Come on, I unlocked the door and turned off the alarm before waking you up,” the SEAL grinned at the other man.  He was hopped up on some strong medication to make the journey back to the house easier on him.  Steve was glad of it too, because getting him up and moving at the hospital had been an ordeal for him to watch, so he could only imagine how painful it was to actually have to be the one experiencing those first movements.

“’K,” with Steve’s help Danny managed to get out of the car and into the house.  He stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at them with trepidation, “Nope.”

“Come on man, you’ll be more comfortable lying in bed than on the couch.”

“I say I’ll be just fine,” Danny had clearly become more aware on the short journey from the car to the house, which was rather unfortunate in Steve’s opinion, as if he had still been out of it, it would have been easier to encourage him up the stairs.

“Do I have to call Henry?” Steve raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“Really?  You’re going to threaten me with my doctor now?”

“If I have to.”

“Come on Steve, I’ll be fine on the couch. I don’t wanna have to walk up those stairs,” whined Danny.  Honestly it didn’t look like a flight of stairs to him right now; it looked more like a potential torture session given how much his back hurt every time he moved his legs.

“Seriously, you’re gonna whine like a five year old?”

“I’m _not_ whining,” insisted Danny his bottom lip starting to stick out in the beginning of a pout, “I’m merely pointing out that I don’t wanna walk up the stairs.”

“You’re tone was definitely whiny.”

“I don’t have a tone!”

“Yes, my friend, you do have a tone.  This particular tone was whiny and reminiscent of Gracie when she’s tired!”

“Are you picking on the invalid, ‘cos you know that’s not cool right?  I’ll tell Kono and she’ll kick your ass!”

“Oh my God!  You are behaving like a child Danny!  Get up the bloody stairs!” growled Steve, the stress and worry of the day finally causing his patience to snap.

“No!” if it wasn’t for the fact that it would hurt Danny would have crossed his arms in defiance.

The SEAL ran a hand through his hair, his other hand still supporting his unsteady partner, “If it wasn’t for those cracked ribs I’d throw you over my shoulder and carry you up the damn stairs!”

“Boss!”

Both men’s heads turned round at the sound of a female voice behind them, though Danny was a little slower.

“Hey Kono,” Danny smiled sweetly.

“Hi Danny, how are you feeling?” Kono walked over to join them, holding out a hand to help steady him.

“I hurt,” said the injured man, giving her his best puppy dog sad eyes, “and the Neanderthal,” he vaguely pointed in Steve’s direction, “Wants me to walk up the stairs.”

Kono turned her attention to her boss, Chin stayed silent behind her trying his hardest not to laugh at the scene before him.

“What?  Henry said he should lie down when I got him home.  I thought the bed would be more comfortable but he’s refusing to go up the stairs!”

“That doesn’t mean that you threaten him!  He’s in pain and on heavy duty pain medication, so he needs gentle handling!  Go and get some drinks sorted and leave Danny to me,” she instructed.

Throwing his hands up in the air, he headed to the kitchen.  At a nod from Kono her cousin followed him.

Kono turned her full attention back to Danny who was now using the wall for additional support, “Danny?”

“Yes Kono,” his blue eyes turned to her, clearly still glazed over from whatever medication Doctor Jensen had given him.

“Would you do something for me?” she asked gently.

“Anything for you,” he grinned goofily at her.

Kono suppressed the urge to giggle at his behaviour, “I’m really worried about you lying on that couch.  I don’t like seeing you in pain, it upsets me, and I think the bed would be better for you.  Would you please go upstairs to lie down?  For me?” she opened her eyes wide and gave him her own version of the puppy dog eyes.  Big, brown and with a little bit of a watery sheen to them, it was likely that no man could resist, especially one under the influence of medication.

Sighing dramatically, Danny looked from her to the stairs, “Only ‘cos you asked so nicely babe,” he swayed slightly as he took his first slow, and painful, step on the stairs but Kono was right beside him to steady him.  It took the pair some time but eventually she had managed to get Danny into his room and into bed.  Of course a ‘sober’ Danny would never have allowed Kono to help him undress but drugged Danny was extremely pliant.

“Huh, how did you manage that?” asked a slightly disgruntled Steve from behind her, a glass of water in his hand that he placed on the nightstand once he’d sidled by her.

“A woman never reveals her secrets,” Kono replied with a grin.

“She asked nicely,” was the response from the bed as Danny smiled at Kono, “You should try it some time,” he pulled the covers up over his head to block out the daylight not quite dulled by the blinds that had been pulled, but Steve was sure he heard a mumbled, “Neanderthal,” come from underneath the covers.

Steve shook his head before leaving the room, closely followed by Kono, he was just glad that someone had managed to get Danny to go to bed.  He was sure that if he’d allowed him to sleep on the couch the resulting pain would have been unbearable, hopefully this way the pain would be manageable at least.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

“So the gunfire was merely a distraction for a robbery?” Danny asked, disgusted that someone would open fire on such a crowd for any reason, let alone for a distraction.

“That’s right,” Kono affirmed as she sat in a chair on the decking at the back of Steve’s house. 

It had been three days since the incident and Danny had been stuck in bed for most of it, so he was actually enjoying being allowed out to eat dinner with the rest of his team.

“That’s…  I don’t have words for that!”

“Quick, note the date, Danny’s speechless!” chuckled Steve, earning a glare from his friend.

“I know what you mean brah.  The diamond dealer who was robbed had quite a bit to say on the matter,” Chin told them, “but he was grateful to hear that he’d be getting his diamonds back in due course, after we caught the four shooters who then rolled on their accomplices.”

“Yeah, let that be a lesson to the criminal element, wearing baseball caps and macs on a hot day causes sweat which leaves DNA!” Kono grinned.

Danny shifted restlessly, still uncomfortable with sitting for long periods.  The movement didn’t go unnoticed by Steve, “How about we head inside to watch a game or movie?” he suggested.  At least he could get Danny lying down and more comfortable, even if he knew the other man wouldn’t go back to bed right now.

“Sounds like a plan,” Danny replied, a slight edge of relief to his voice, which none of his friends commented on.  Kono provided a steadying hand for Danny as they walked back in.  The pain in his legs had lessened but until the bruising started to fade he was likely to be in some discomfort for a while.  Henry had told him he could expect his ribs to take around six weeks to fully heal.  Danny knew only too well that that meant desk duty for probably another month, more if Steve had his way.  The fingers of his right hand weren’t quite so painful as long as he didn’t try to use it at the moment, they’d actually probably take less time to heal than his ribs.

The SEAL had been treating Danny a little bit like he was a china doll that would break at the slightest movement, the detective couldn’t see his way fit to grouching about it.  He’d given the whole team a scare but he’d taken it one step further with Steve when he’d threatened to quit.  Danny still wasn’t sure that it wouldn’t be better, although he could also now see the pain that would cause his ohana, medication really did colour a person’s perspective. 

That morning Danny and Steve had spoken again about the possibility of him leaving 5-0 and Hawaii.  Now on a lower dose of pain medication Danny’s sense of reasoning and his emotions were more controlled.  In fact after he’d finished speaking with Steve about it for a second time, he was under no illusions that if he were to up and vanish the Navy SEAL would use all his not inconsiderable connections to track him down and drag him back, kicking and screaming if necessary.  What a great feeling to be _that_ loved.


End file.
